#planning to do another of these for origins

[mask131]

Normally I would have reblogged this to my Oz side-blog but I will reblog this here first because somehow there's more Oz fans here than on my Oz sideblog? Tumblr is weird...

Upon seeing this very popular post I have to add my two cents of a thoughts... Because while I agree with half of it, I disagree with another half, and it's mostly a question of nuance.

My main point is: It is not because people dump on Wicked that in return people should dump on Baum's Oz. I am saying that in regard of the "Oz originally doesn't have any continuity". I admit myself I am one of the first people to put forward the fact Baum was a bit of an anti-Tolkien when it came to Oz because at one point he didn't care about logical and coherent worldbuilding and just threw whatever he wanted at the wall... HOWEVER! I realize now how these words might mis-guide people because it doesn't mean Baum didn't care about continuity at all.

The early Oz books are actually trying to form a coherent whole. When Baum wrote "The Marvelous Land of Oz" he was not FORCED to do it because of "popular demand". He wanted to do it. Partially because he wanted to adapt it as a musical once it was over, but when he wrote the novel he still intended it to be a logical, continuing sequel to his Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and he worked to refit elements taken from his musical adaptations (like Pastoria) into the world of Oz as presented in his first novel. Same thing with the third novel, Ozma of Oz - when you read these first three books one after another they are cohesive. Just because later Baum decided to abandon a bit continuity and do massive retcons for the sake of telling new stories doesn't mean he never cared about continuity, and the start of the Oz series was an effort to make one complete world that made sense. Oz first became a series because Baum wanted it to be ; the whole thing of a "sense of duty towards the fandom" (which wasn't actually a sense of duty, his others works just didn't sell while everybody bought his Oz books) came later.

Yes, after the sixth book (which was meant to be the great finale but didn't work to end the series), Baum ended up making a LOT of books that openly contradicted the worldbuilding established in the first novels... But they still were coherent and cohesive in their own right. It is just that Baum chose to retcon and massively shift some worldbuilding rules in order to have a setting perfect for a kid-friendly long-running series where he could include everything and anything - but once he established these new rules, he stuck to it and explored them in various ways (such as the rule of "No living being can die in Oz", which of course contradicts the early books, but becomes a core principle of "later Oz" and is explored in various novels - such as the one introducing the Tin Soldier). Yes Baum contradicted, shifted and retconned, but to say he had no sense of continuity or canon is frankly way too harsh.

We were having a talk with @themousefromfantasyland about Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus novel, and he did make a point that this books contradicts the "anti-Tolkien" reputation of Baum as in there you have a strong, solid, complex worldbuilding working very well for its own little Christmas epic, self-contained in one sturdy novel. And that's the thing with Baum: outside of his Oz series, each of his individual works had a strong and solid worldbuilding, or nice continuity in the case of mini-eries. Oz was an exception just because it went on for way more than what he already planned, and Baum had to juggle between various media (the Oz franchise he run wasn't just novels, it was also stage musicals, movies, and even early comic books).

My second point is this: I do agree people shouldn't entirely reject Maguire's novel out of it being "non-canon" to Oz. Because it is part of a long series of revisionist works inventing, reinventing or twisting Oz in various ways. The MGM movie was first, but you have so many, from The Wiz to Emerald City, passing by Tin Man, or Lost in Oz, or to have something more akin to Maguire's 90s dark, edgy, sex-and-drugs counter-culture approach to Oz, the Oz Squad comics. HOWEVER! HOWEVER! I do think it is important to remind people Maguire wrote his own thing, on his own side, and that "Wicked" is its own thing.

What do I mean by that? Very simple... I have seen, looked at, chatted and interacted with a concerning number of people who are convinced Wicked (be it the musical or the novels) are "canon" in the sense that... somehow they believe when Maguire named his Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba, it retro-actively baptisez the Witch of the West in Baum's novel. Or that the Wicked musical was actually allowed or produced by the MGM as an "official" complement to their movie, meant to act as a real prequel to it. You should not underestmate how POPULAR Wicked was compared to other Oz revisionist works or adaptations, resulting in a lot of people ending up knowing only the MGM movie and the Wicked franchise, sometimes with Return to Oz, and not knowing anything about the novels. This results in fascinating though very puzzling misconceptions. I have seen people insist that Evillene in The Wiz should be called "Elphaba" because it is the "official" name of the Wicked Witch of the West. I have seen people claiming to adapt the Wizard of Oz by Baum but really just doing adaptations of Wicked the musical, and not realizing they were using tons of stuff that were copyrighted by the musical creators and not in Baum's original novel. I have seen a lot of people claim that Baum intended Glinda to be called "Galinda" and that it is more correct to refer to Glinda by this name...

Yes, Wicked is its own continuity and branch of the large Oz family tree. Just like the MGM movie and its various adaptations. Just like Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful, or Return to Oz. Just like the Wiz. Just like Volkov's Tales of Magic Land (well... cough cough there's a bit of more unclear legal things down there but you know). Just like Tin Man or Emerald City. People should be aware that Oz is a LARGE franchise of many, MANY media.

But there is also a frightening amount of people who take literaly what Maguire wrote: "it is the real story of the Wicked Witch of the West", they take it literaly. Mind you this was more prominent in the 2000s and early 2010s - I think things got better recently because people are getting much more aware of the original books and of other alternate Oz media... But you know, at one point there was a need to point out "Hey guys, you know Maguire invented stuff, right? That he is basically parodying and twisting stuff and creating his own thing not in the public domain? Please stop saying Elphaba is public domain, she is not. This little wrinkled one-eyed hag is."

I've seen a lot of people lately harping about how "Wicked isn't canon to the Oz universe", "it's just glorified fanfiction", etc., and I can't express how silly that is, and how annoyed it makes me every time I hear it, lol. Baum's original Oz books were never meant to be some canonical series — they contradict each other constantly; Baum called it a "fairy story" with loose cohesion at best; and it only became a series at all because the first one got popular enough that Baum felt a duty to the fandom to keep making more (even after he had wanted to end it). And the 1939 film is every bit as much "fanfiction" as Wicked — it changes the story in both major and minor ways, including a complete shift of framing (i.e., making Oz into a dream rather than a real place).

Maguire's great contribution to the overarching legacy and lore of Oz was to harmonize the very weak "canon" of the older works with a different shift in framing: recontextualizing all of the prior Oz material as a revisionist history (going off of Baum's own idea framing of himself as a "Royal Historian of Oz"), and attempting to tell "the true story" behind the other works (fictively of course — we're never meant to literally think Maguire's version preceded Baum's, irl). In literary studies, this is called an urtext. The Wicked Years and its adaptations are as much "fanfiction" as the 1939 film: it's just self-aware of that fact in a way that earlier works weren't, and uses that perspective to deconstruct the material and explore deeper (and darker) themes — not simply adapting or reimagining the original text (as the 1939 movie did), but actively challenging it; interrogating it. It's not meant to be "canon" as such: it asks you to ask whether (and why) there is such a thing, and what that might say about the stories that we are meant to literally believe in, in real life.

[thewertsearch]

Honestly, this is a bit of a lucky break for WV. If Jack knew he was in possession of the White Ring, he’d have been Exiled to the afterlife, instead.

Also: good evening, Grandpa Harley.

Fun fact: across the entire universe, you and a handful of very unfortunate astronauts are all that remains of the human race.

PM seems to have found her Exile Station fairly quickly. By the time WV found his, his garb was weathered and dusty, but hers is still in pristine condition.

Was PM just lucky, then? I suppose it would be a lot easier for her, because she could see her station from a distance.

I was originally going to jump straight into Jade's next section, but now that I'm actually assessing the other options here, they're all intriguing as hell.

What, then, do I want to learn first?

What the hell is up with Gamzee? Is this old conversation with Tavros really a flashback? If it's taking place in another Dream Bubble, does that mean he did die off-panel?

What, exactly, is Aradia’s goal in traveling to the Green Sun? Could she actually have a plan to help the Strider-Lalondes escape their fate?

Does Doc Scratch really do his own housework?

...on reflection, that last question demands the most immediate answer.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

this blog has helped me so so much !! if u haven't answered something like this already, could i ask for some help/tips w southern vocabulary and how to go about writing it ?

Some Southern Vocabulary

A Month Of Sundays - This expression is another way of saying something has taken a long time or that something is unlikely to happen.

Bless Your Heart - It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. It's almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head. It can express empathy or judgment, or it can be said in place of a person's true feelings.

Icebox Pie - Any dessert prepared in a pie crust that has to be kept refrigerated.

Kinfolk - People to whom one is related.

Knee High - Small child (I’ve known her since she was knee high.)

Meat and Three - A main dish meat served with three sides of your choice.

Mess - The word mess generally has a negative connotation, but in the South, it takes on a whole new meaning—one with a positive spin. The context around mess matters. The entire phrase is usually something along the lines of you a mess or you’re a mess, with the discussion before it centering on something you’re doing. Think of it as a compliment, a way of saying you’re adorable or possibly clever or witty.

‘Nanner Pudding - Banana pudding made with sliced bananas, vanilla wafers and vanilla pudding; usually topped with whipped cream.

Over Yonder - When you're in the South, "over yonder" is a distant direction—any direction. The phrase may be accompanied by a gesture indicating north, south, east, or west. Over yonder down the road. Over yonder past the field. Over yonder toward the water tower. This phrase can be intensified by the addition of the word "way," as in "way over yonder."

Piddlin' - A piddlin’ is a small amount that’s not worth bothering with. Someone who is piddlin’ in the yard is wasting time and not doing a whole lot.

Preachin’ To The Choir - When you are preachin’ to the choir, you are trying to convince someone who already agrees with you. Save your breath. You’re all in solidarity.

Pretty As A Peach - This is a high compliment in the South since Southern states are known for their peaches. In fact, Georgia and South Carolina produce more peaches than any other states in the South.

Slower than Molasses in the Winter - If someone is moving very slow pace, you could say that they’re “slower than molasses in the winter.” The origin of this one is pretty straightforward: if you’ve ever tried to pour molasses out of a bottle in the cold, you’ll know that the thick liquid takes a long time to make its way out. Since molasses is a staple of Southern cooking, it makes sense that this phrase caught on and stuck around.

That Dog Won't Hunt - An idea, plan of action, or suggestion that simply isn't going anywhere. It's maybe a slightly nicer way of outright rejecting or disparaging an idea.

We’uns - Us; multiple people, including the speaker (We’uns love to get together for Sunday dinner.)

And here's a post that includes tips on writing accents and dialects (scroll to the end).

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Thanks so much for your lovely words, hope this helps with your writing! You could also look through the links above for more references that I wasn't able to include here.

[letskilltimetogether]

Omg I’m so sorry for leaving you hanging ;-; I can only offer the excuse of crippling school projects, but I’m back!

Dr. Stone Spoilers for most of the story

Okay so your point about him being a good leader actually opened up a can of worms in my brain. This is def kind of off topic? But I think it’s interesting so I want to write it down for my own sanity.

For a while know I’ve been coining Senkuu as a bad leader, or at least not ideal for personal writing purposes, but your comment made me rethink it. Looking at things with a fresh start, I realized Senkuu is a good leader, but not in the way I was originally imagining. (Doing my best to keep it as canon as possible) Senkuu 1. Cares deeply about people, not just his own 2. Is very strategic and thinks of the future 3. Does not want power. These 3 aspects make him a good leader, especially in the setting of Dr. Stone.

To use an analogy, He would be a very good science club leader, which is kind of what he is. He is dedicated to the craft, and can manage a small group of people with similar goals, and rather than excluding others, he encourages and fights for them to join his club of nerds.

However!

For the first part of Dr. Stone, that works fine. It’s just the Kingdom of Science and the Empire of Might. It’s like 140 people, who although need some coaxing, can work together. But once America hits and they have Zenos people how have very different ideas, and all sorts of other civilizations across the globe… people are going to have conflicting ideas. There’s always going to be Tsukasas, misguided people, and Hyogas and Homuras, people who don’t mean well and try to shape the world in their making. This is where I believe Senkuu is no longer the best choice, as I don’t think he could handle managing and keeping peace between all of these people, in addition to perusing and steam heading science projects. Obviously there’s people to help him do these things, but it’s a lot.

Many people instead make Ryusui the main leader, which is not a bad decision. He’s used to leadership and thrives in positions of power, and cares about the people around him, even if they don’t like him(most of this comes from his confidence/arrogance, but still). He is great at planning and managing people, and is decent at working with people who have different views than him. However he doesn’t really understand the differences between what people say/think they want, and what they need, and he could make bad decisions based on that misconception. In addition, Ryusui is pretty disconnected from the people around him as he had a very different upbringing, and can’t always relate to people. This makes him a caring leader, but unable to properly act this way.

Both he and Senkuu are decent leaders on their own, but still not great. In conclusion, I say the best solution is to have the 5 generals, so some other council, in charge. They balance each other’s faults, this sharing of power relieves the pressure of leading the entirety of humanity from 1 person’s shoulders.

Main tangent over lol.

I def agree about Senkuu trying to save everybody, including Tsukasa, with all of the stuff happening at the beginning of Treasure Island Arc being a lot to juggle. This means to me that his decision to give Hyoga and Homura to the “authorities”/legal system is weak evidence for him being lawful.

I feel like we’re running this thread dry, so I pose another question: How do you feel about the ending of the manga, and how would you change it? I have some strong thoughts about those last few arcs lol.

*offers microphone in one hand and a bag of chips in the other*

Also happy holidays!!

Your honor they're homosexuals

[rickyriddle]

So I have a theory regarding the Agatha What If…? episode. What if Agatha went to Hollywood? The episode doesn't really explain why she made that choice other than trying to get the Celestial’s powers. But I still wonder how she knew and why the regular Agatha didn't make that choice. And then I felt like the ending of the episode was a bit odd and maybe even ooc for her, to get convinced by Kingo like that. So I wondered: what makes this Agatha different from our Agatha?

They are similar, that's for sure. But the what if Agatha feels less… ruthless? Still self-serving and looking for more power, but a bit less murderous. Then it clicked. What if… Agatha never Rio? Now I know, we all love the idea of Celestial Agatha with Rio, both now cosmic beings but hear me out. First we don't know if Rio, as the comic entity of Death, has variants in the MCU. Tho ultimately, it doesn't really matter for this theory. Let's just imagine a scenario where these two didn't meet or never came to be a couple. What would have happened to Agatha?

Regardless of Rio, Agatha needed to steal powers from other witches in order to survive during the Salem years. She was already doing so before meeting Rio. But if she never met Rio, or never dated her, then it would also mean Agatha never had Nicholas. Never created the ballad. Never lost her son. Never started using this specific con based on the Witches Road to gain power as a way to cope with grief.

Now, how would that lead her to Hollywood? Well, main Agatha would have been too busy by first, running away from Rio, and secondly her road con. She'd be unlikely to look for another source of power when she got a successful con going on and unsuspecting witches falling into her lap all the time (as well as literal Death wrap around her finger).

But in a universe where she can't rely on that con or her cosmic wife, I think it's more likely that Agatha would look for power elsewhere, not just the magic she can steal from other witches. Hence why she ended up learning about the Celestial Tiamut and decided to go to Hollywood to hatch her plan to steal his powers.

That would also explain to me why this version of Agatha managed to be convinced by Kingo. Main Agatha would not have cared about what he said imo. But this Agatha isn't as bitter, hardened by the loss of her son and her complicated relationship with Rio. She might be more willing to bond with someone else who might share some of her experiences, possibly with loneliness and being different from their own kind. Agatha was always different from other witches due to her powers and never managed to connect with them, and she recognized that Kingo was also different from his own kind, the Eternals. So she knew he actually understood her and that might have led her to accept his proposition, and friendship.

But the main reason why I start thinking that Nicky didn't exist in that universe is that I cannot bring myself to believe Agatha wouldn't have tried to bring him back. With the powers of two Celestials, she could have rewritten the world like she wanted, yet chose not to and instead remained an actress. To me it feels like she didn't have something she wished to change about the world, which I don't think is conceivable if she lost Nicky in this universe too. There is also no mention or allusion to her dating Rio, so I do feel like these two were just not a thing in this universe and therefore, Nicky never came to exist.

Fundamentally, this is still Agatha, but she's not our Agatha we knew in WV and AAA. Same trauma with her mother and original coven, but different life experiences afterwards that could have led her to a drastically different path. I love agathario and imagining a world where they aren't a couple is hard, but I'm afraid that's what I feel like this episode was. Actually a “What if… Agatha never met Rio?’.

But hey, at least this episode confirmed she is indeed a lesbian, regardless if she's in a relationship with Rio or not.

[clairedaring]

Ahead of the Spare Me Your Mercy Finale premieres, here's an interview with screenwriter Lux on the portrayal of Euthanasia in the series

(source: mgronline; machine translated with minimal edits, my apologies for any inaccuracies)

The series "Spare Me Your Mercy" (Thai title: การุณยฆาต), airing on Channel One31, is approaching its conclusion. Starring Tor Thanapob Leeratanakajorn and JJ Krisanapoom Pibulsonggram, the series is based on a novel by Dr. Sam Isaree Siriwannakulkorn under the pen name Sammon. Known for works such as Manner of Death, Triage, Bite Me, and the recent 4MINUTES, Sammon's novels often intertwine themes of BL (Boys' Love) with medical narratives.

However, in this Channel One adaptation, the producers emphasized that the focus is not on the BL aspect but primarily on the medical themes. Lux Sirilux Srisukon, the creator and scriptwriter of Spare Me Your Mercy and a skilled member of the production house, explained the reasons behind adapting this story and delved into the nuances of the plot. Even though euthanasia is not yet legal in Thailand, the story explores how patients may make end-of-life decisions without violating medical ethics.

“Sammon's novels are primarily BL and include numerous love scenes. However, we deliberately chose not to present it as a BL story. While the characters are two men in love, we approached it with a dark drama style. The characters are gay, but we don’t offer fan service in every episode or include NC (explicit) scenes. This has been the plan from the beginning.

Our decision to omit NC scenes wasn’t influenced by censorship, airtime, or the actors. It’s because the themes we are addressing are heavy and serious. NC scenes would detract from the story’s focus, which is the dark drama and euthanasia. Some fans of the novel might be disappointed, but we believe there’s other enjoyment to be found in the series, even without NC scenes.

We didn’t approach the series like those aimed to ‘serve’ specific audiences. For instance, in traditional male-female dramas, if the protagonists fall in love, they simply do. Similarly, this story is like any typical drama—it’s not about portraying same-sex or opposite-sex love, but it is just two people who love each other. We depict love scenes the same way we would in any regular drama. Viewers will see that these two characters love each other because we don’t see gay love as different from heterosexual love. It’s just two people finding each other, forming a bond, and falling in love.

When we spoke with the original author, she was also very supportive of this shift because she also wants to highlight the theme of euthanasia. While she herself is a Sao Y and a writer of BL novels, she understands the adaptation’s focus.”

Lux says that she wants to clear up the misconceptions that many people may have that euthanasia must be caused by illness/ medical conditions, not because of life dissatisfaction or laziness and want to inject death.

“We wanted to portray what euthanasia really is because there are many misconceptions. People often misunderstand it in two extreme ways. First, they see it as equivalent to suicide. Second, they see it as an escape for those dissatisfied with life. For instance, some on X (re: Twitter) think, ‘I don’t need to think about the future; I’ll just live my life and then get an injection to die.’ That’s not possible anywhere in the world. That's a misconception

Euthanasia doesn’t mean you can request an injection to die simply because you’re tired of life. Even in Europe, where euthanasia is legal, there are strict requirements. You must have a certified medical condition specified in the law, endorsed by at least two medical specialists, and the illness must be truly incurable and that you are waiting for death. The purpose of this law is to prevent these individuals from suffering. Instead of suffering for another year, they can die. It's not about being bored with life or lazy to live or not liking yourself when you're old, so you let them inject you with a lethal dose. They don't do that. Many people misunderstand that if you don't want to live, you can go for euthanasia.

"But on the other side, some people say they wish the law would pass so they wouldn't have to take care of themselves when they're old. I'm bored, so I'll just go and get an injection. That's not how it works. Even in countries where it's legal, they won't do it. Or if a father has an illness that is still treatable, they won't allow it either. It’s only available for those truly nearing death, as certified by medical professionals. In cases where it is allowed, in countries where this law has been passed, as I explained earlier, and they only provide euthanasia to the relieve suffering of patients who are waiting for death.

Euthanasia in Thailand — Is It Suitable?

“Euthanasia is a thought-provoking topic. We interviewed doctors, and they said that euthanasia isn't suitable for wealthy people. If you ask doctors at expensive hospitals, they'll say that euthanasia is not appropriate for Thailand because they already have everything (re: palliative care) that rich patients need to ease their final days. However, for poor people, just getting painkillers once a month is difficult. They have to endure the suffering. The doctor who wrote this story had to visit the homes of patients. In small hospitals, when they encounter such cases, they think, 'Maybe there really needs to be something. Poor people with terminal cancer, in excruciating pain, with no one to take them for medicine or see a doctor, they have to lie there in pain. How are they supposed to live?' The accessibility and public health welfare of our people are not equal. It’s the untold story we wanted to highlight.

This is what I want to convey. I understand that BL fans might be disappointed, but if we focus on NC scenes to make people swoon, the core of the story will change. The focus on such elements would overshadow the critical subject of euthanasia.

The series will also feature other things to consider, one of them being a ‘living will,’ which has been legally recognized for decades. A living will allows individuals to declare their wishes in case of severe illness, such as opting out of life-prolonging measures if they’re in a vegetative state. This is akin to a ‘patient’s will.’ However, if we become unconscious and don't have full mental capacity, we won't be able to do this. And doctors won't be able to stop saving us because it would be against medical ethics (t/n: since doctors are obligated to provide care to avoid ethical violations)

This is legal and there's laws for it, but no one knows about it. We can do it without a lawyer, just with witnesses. We make one copy for ourselves and another for the hospital where we receive treatment. If we have the symptoms listed in the document, the doctor can let us go without providing treatment. We have to do it ourselves, relatives can't do it for us. This is not a loophole in the law, there is a law for it, it's just not promoted. This is legal tool that can be used instead of euthanasia because it comes from the patient themselves. Everyone can become terminally ill. Cancer doesn't discriminate, and when you're in those situations, how would you deal with it if euthanasia is not legal? You have to think ahead."

tagging @recentadultburnout who can help vet for me if there are any inaccuracies from these machine translations

[sy-on-boy]

Spy x Family Damianya Manga Guide

This is mostly for myself to keep track because I keep on forgetting their chapters :D

(Paraphrased, brief summaries)

[Last updated: 23 Dec 2024, Chapter 108]

Chapter 8: Eden beginnings, Damian thinks Anya has a crush on him and looks cute, Anya punches Damian

Chapter 9: Damian stares at Anya in class and blushes, Anya apologizes to Damian, he develops a crush on her

Volume 2 omake: Damian’s original design is reviewed, but he looked too much like his dad so the editor requested to make him cuter. All of Damian’s notes are blacked out except for one saying he likes Anya

Chapter 15: Dodgeball chapter. Damain wants to become an Imperial Scholar or else his father won’t notice him. Anya says she doesn’t like Damian because he’s mean to her.

Chapter 16: Anya gets her first Stella by saving a drowning kid, Damian is jealous.

Chapter 17: Damian defends Anya's star from people saying she is undeserving of one. Anya learns Damian has a dog starts planning to get a dog for Plan B.

Chapter 23: Anya tells Damian she owns a dog. Damian doesn't care, but in the end indulges her by asking what's the dog's name.

Chapter 25: the Arts and Crafts/ paper Griffin chapter. "If they have love, they can soar through the sky!"

Chapter 26: Midterms exam, Damian makes Anya's signature face to tease her.

Chapter 28: George chapter, Anya defends Damian when George attempts to defame him.

Chapter 36: Anya and Becky go on their shopping trip. Damian sees Anya's smile and blushes.

Chapter 37: Imperial Scholar meetup. Anya convinces Damian to find his father.

Chapter 38: Damian admits that it's not like he hates Anya but gets flustered afterwards.

Chapter 42: The macaron/ Old Maid chapter. Anya panics when Damian wonders if she can read minds. Damian purposefully picks the wrong card because he can read Anya's face. Anya offers half of her macaron to Damian and he refuses.

Family Portrait light novel spin off, Novel Mission 1: Anya and Damian hold hands while hiding from the rain in a cave.

Chapter 61: The handkerchief chapter. Anya lets Damian borrow her handkerchief and gets a bolt in his place. Seeing this, Damian wants to tell the truth, but Anya stops him. Damian claims that the "A" monogrammed on his handkerchief is the "A" in "Damian". Anya mistakenly thinks Damian is going to pay her back with cake.

Chapter 66: Anya learns Yor knows Melinda and starts a battle of the friendship schemes. Becky gives Anya a yakisoba burger to hold in her mouth and instructs her to bump into Damian. Damian avoids her but the burger ends up on his head.

Chapter 67 Part 1: Anya pesters Damian about the cake and tells them their mom are friends. Damian thinks about his preschool secrets and Anya thinks she's getting some good Sy-on boy gossip.

Chapter 69: Start of bus hijacking arc. Damian prepared cake for Anya but his friends eat it before he can give it to her.

Chapter 70: Anya and Becky hatch a plan to tell the outside world they're being held hostage. A concerned Damian throws them a note asking them what they're doing. They tell him and Damian offers to be the distraction. Anya tosses their SOS message outside the window and is caught, and the terrorists place a bomb around her neck.

Chapter 71: Anya learns the bomb is fake. The terrified thoughts from her classmates overwhelm her, and Damian mistakenly thinks Anya is scared. Damian tells the hijackers to attach the bomb to him instead ("The bomb on her neck, attach it to me instead!"). They put another (fake) bomb on Damian without removing Anya's. Damian is terrified, so Anya holds his hand to reassure him it'll be okay.

Chapter 75: After they get off the bus, Damian apologies to Anya for making fun of her. Anya responds by saying Damian was "super cool" as well. She says Damian offering to take the bomb for her was a "hero move". Damian calls them friends. He reveals to Anya that he barely has a relationship with his parents.

Chapter 76: Anya reflects on meeting Melinda and thinks Damian's family is weird. Anya becomes popular for her heroics. Becky teases Damian about him getting jealous that someone is going to take Anya away. He shivers at the thought, then vehemently denies it. He insults Anya and she gets tear-eyed, so he says sorry and he'll bring some candy to make up for it.

Chapter 78.5 / Short Mission 10: Ewen and Anya get excited about space exploration and play together. Damian gets jealous and claims "When I'm a politician, I'll make it so people can take trips to the moon whenever they want". Anya seemingly doesn't hear him.

Chapter 88: Cake chapter. Damian decides to repay the handkerchief debt by giving Anya "the most elite tea cakes ever made, intended for royalty". Damian is embarrassed by the debt wants to do it in secret. Anya reads his mind and passes him a note telling him to meet her alone during break. Emile and Ewen assume she wants to fight Damian. Becky thinks it's romantic. Damian and Anya run away from their friends. Damian gets annoyed and thinks about tossing the cakes. Anya holds onto his arm and says "I don't want you to go! (Without giving me the cakes)". Damian is about to give Anya the cakes when Henderson confiscates the cakes and sends them to detention. They eat the tea cakes during detention. Damian wonders why Anya asked him to come alone if it wasn't to fight and Anya gets creeped out by his mental image of her.

Chapter 95: End of class gala. Beforehand, Anya asks Damian to dance and he refuses. At the dance, Anya and Damian both have multiple people asking them for a dance. Loid is secretly at the party. Anya reads his mind and hears that Loid wants her to pick whoever she wants to dance with. Anya declares she wants to dance with Damian.

Chapter 96: Ewen and Emile start a series of challenges in which the winner will get to dance with Damian. Anya finishes the first challenge with help from Loid, which concerns Emile and Ewen. Damian tells them they do this fair and square. The final challenge is a Damian trivia quiz which Anya gets points because she can read minds. Anya wins when she correctly answers who Damian loves the most— his father (seemingly without using her powers). They dance together. Anya tells him her father made her practice with him. Damian says he was taught by an instructor and admits to her that her family sounds nice. When Damian accuses Anya of reading minds because she knew specific trivia about him, Anya confesses that yes, she can read minds. Damian doesn't believe her.

Chapter 104: Damian asks if Jeeves is blabbering to his mother about "weird stuff" such as Anya.

Chapter 107: Winter festival chapter. The Forgers go to the festival and meet up with the Eden kids and their parents/caretakers.

Chapter 108: Anya tells fortune teller Melinda that she wants to be friends with Damian even though she "hates him because he bullies her". Anya tells Damian that his mom loves him too.

[connor-123-idk]

Can you talk more about the concept behind RSA!Rook?

I wanted to post chapter 2 today, but I have another family meeting, so I shall just yap

What's up with this guy, and what is his concept

So, it was not easy to came out with this idea in the first place. Snow White itself doesn't have many of characters, especially when it comes to bad characters. The fact that i made RSA!Vil a Snow White should say that a lot, because for him I had to switch between Neige and Vil (lazyyyyy)

I was trying to came out with alternative of sort for Rook, but then I thought the other way. Instead of important character I should do something else important

The concept of ,,beauty" is one of important concepts in Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, but so is ,,revenge" and ,,death"

When you take a look at source, Evil Queen was trying to kill Snow White 3 times, one of them was with the corset OR a ribbon, depends which version we read. That's why RSA!Rook has a very tight corset, that looks like he's almost suffocating

The other way was poisoned comb, which on the other hand I gave to RSA!Vil design

(Its there, you just gotta look closer)

And the last was poisoned apple, which can be seen on Rook's hairpins

Thats why Rook has 3 pins on one side but what about other pin?

Its death of Evil Queen. Where in original she died dancing in hot shoes and lost a lot of blood in process

I made the design mostly thinking about Doctor Plague, but also such characters like Nanno from ,,The Girl From Nowhere", and the black hands are inspired by Arlecchino from ,,Genshin Impact".

Due to RSA!Rook being based on the concept I had a lot of artistic freedom with him. Some fans even influenced his design and character. His first version didn't have a make up back then, until one of fans commented that he would look better in it. I made some research about goth make ups, and put it on Rook, which looks way better in my opinion

Also some fans compared him to Wednesday, which gave me a good reason to why he doesn't wear dorm uniform (cough cough color allergy)

What role will he play in the Main Story? I honestly dont know myself since I planned only Book 1 - Book 3, so I wont say much in that matter

Anyway. I think I yapped enough 🥲

[oddyseye]

Things I did NOT like in the Ithaca Saga.

Okay, it was fine, but there were just...choices... There’s just stuff in that section that had me rolling my eyes so hard I thought they’d get stuck.

First up: "Hold Them Down." I get that Epic is trying to make the suitors worse villains, but the way they went about it was disgusting. That song outright says the suitors were planning to force themselves on Penelope, which is not even remotely in the Odyssey. Yes, the suitors are terrible — they’re greedy, arrogant, would-be killers who exploit her hospitality — but this crosses a line that feels like shock value rather than staying true to the source material. They included that song, but erased Calypso’s actions toward Odysseus? In the Odyssey, she held him captive for years and forced him into a relationship. That is literally such an important part of the story. Yet, not only did Epic omit it, but they also banned people from even discussing it in their Discord server. How does that make sense? You can explore one kind of assault but not acknowledge the other, especially when the one they ignored was actually canon? The double standard is infuriating, and it completely undermines the narrative’s integrity. Yet somehow this suitor nonsense made the cut? Make it make sense, because I can’t. Next, Telemachus. Why did they do my boy so dirty? In the Odyssey, he was brave, capable, and growing into his own. He fought beside Odysseus, killed suitors, and even comes this close to stringing Odysseus’ old bow, which is supposed to be impossible for anyone but...well. Odysseus. That’s a huge moment! It shows how much he’s grown and how much of Odysseus’ strength and legacy he carries within him. But in Epic? They turned him into some weak, helpless little thing who can’t do anything without Odysseus. Like, hello? Telemachus isn’t just Odysseus’ son; he’s a fighter, a prince, and a man trying to defend his home. Stripping that away to make Odysseus look like more of a hero is just lazy and disrespectful to the original story. They took away his courage, his growth, and his ability to hold his own. It’s like they didn’t trust the audience to see Odysseus as a hero unless Telemachus was made to look useless by comparison. And then we get to Odysseus and Athena. What even was that? Yes, the idea that Odysseus has become a “monster” is a fascinating angle—he’s been through so much that revenge, violence, and survival have completely overtaken who he once was. But Ithaca does nothing to earn this shift, and it outright ignores the groundwork laid in earlier sagas. Two sagas ago, we saw Odysseus at his lowest. He was stranded on Calypso’s island, completely defeated, and begging Athena for help. Let me say that again: begging. And this wasn’t just any goddess he was calling out to — this was the mentor who had abandoned him as a student. She had walked away, and he still reached out, still trusted her to save him when no one else could. That moment showed Odysseus’ faith in Athena and their deep, complicated bond. Calypso.

And Athena? She didn’t just listen—she fought for him. She went up against Zeus himself to make sure Odysseus could leave that island. She defied the king of the gods because she believed in him. Odysseus doesn’t know that detail, but we do, and it makes her devotion to him so much more impactful. She risked everything to give him another chance at life, at home, at redemption.

Fast-forward to Ithaca, and what do we get? Athena shows up, vulnerable and introspective, questioning the path they’ve taken and the world they’ve built, and Odysseus just brushes her off. He doesn’t just say no — he dismisses her entirely. His response boils down to, “Not my problem. I’ve got a wife to see.” Excuse me, now? This is the same man who was crying out for her intervention just two sagas ago. The same man whose survival has always depended on his intelligence, resourcefulness, and the help of others — Athena most of all. Now he’s too proud to even engage with her? It doesn’t track. It’s inconsistent, and it cheapens their relationship. She’s opening her heart, showing her vulnerability, wondering if there’s still a way for them to fix what they’ve broken. She didn’t owe him anything, but she did it because she believed in him, because she had invested in him from the start. So for him to now completely disregard her — when she’s in front of him, showing empathy and pain — feels like a betrayal of everything that came before. Odysseus’ monster arc didn’t need to erase Athena. In fact, rejecting the one person who literally raised him, who fought for him, who saved him so many times, doesn’t even make sense for his character. That’s not the arc of a man who’s become a monster; that’s just cruelty for cruelty’s sake.

This is someone who has given everything to Odysseus, and in this moment, she’s realizing that the person she fought for is no longer the man she thought he was. And that’s what’s tragic.

But Ithaca doesn’t explore that. Instead, it uses Odysseus’ rejection as a cheap plot point, stripping away the emotional weight of his relationship with Athena. She was the woman who raised him, who guided him, who saved him — and they reduced her to a mere plot device to show how “monster-ified” Odysseus has become. It’s lazy, it’s cruel, and it completely disregards the depth of their bond. The pain in Athena’s voice, the heartbreak in her words, is completely wasted.

Odysseus doesn’t need to be a monster who rejects Athena to be a tragic figure. The tragedy would have been in him choosing revenge and violence at the cost of his humanity, not in cutting ties with the one person who raised him into the hero he became. Ithaca could’ve explored that, but instead, it gave us a shallow, hollow portrayal that didn’t respect the characters, their history, or the emotional weight of their relationship. Ithaca is a hot mess, and it’s honestly embarrassing. It had all this potential, and yet it chose to phone it in with lazy writing and shallow plot twists. It throws out big ideas and then does nothing with them, leaving us with empty, unearned moments that just fall flat. Instead of digging into anything meaningful, it relies on cheap drama to get a reaction. The story feels rushed, disconnected from the other sagas, and like the creators couldn’t be bothered to put in the work. They had an opportunity to make something impactful and then just decided to half-ass it. If you're looking for a mess of missed potential, Ithaca is your go-to. That being said, the songs are sick and I will sob again over the last song. Thank you.

[arowyn-m]

Hey I don't really do fic recs but if you're looking for an absolutely incredible Machine Herald origin story fic then go read Sing It Down by void_spells on ao3...It's quite literally everything I could have wanted out of S2.

I read the prequel back in 2022 and it's to the day one of my favorite fics of all time from any media—the author so thoroughly understands Jayce and Viktor's characters on another level and it makes for some amazing interactions and reactions that feel very in-character, even when characters clearly aren't in their "right mind".

No further elaboration—you guys already know what I yell about with Machine Herald Viktor and what could have/should have/definitely-was-at-one-point-planned-to-have been, so I'll let the fic speak for itself—GO READ IT. RIGHT NOW.

[simplydannie]

New Under Rageous AU Idea: The Retelling of Trolls

What if….

It wasn’t Bergentown the Trolls escaped from….

It wasn’t Chef clutches (though she’ll be a major part of the story).

It wasn’t a Troll tree they escaped from… but rather a Troll Farm…. A forest kept inside a diamond dome… owned by no other than Vaughn Montegue.

In this retelling, King Peppy finds a way for a number of Trolls to escape the Troll Dome (what they call the farm) before he or his daughters are taken for “extraction”… but the escape causes a rift, a separation amongst families:

As they run, they are pursued by Under Rageons and Vaughn himself. Some get recaptured in the process, including Viva, Clay, and Floyd, while the rest escape deeper into Under Rageous.

Does this mean they are safe? Free?… No. Not entirely.

Twenty years after their escape, the Trolls find themselves taken in by the community of what they “Pauper Trolls”, these Trolls have escaped the clutches of Under Rageons and Under Bergens alike, settling around Under Rageous and living the life of a borrower. The trolls have no idea how to escape the under-city, but for years have planned.

Poppy rules over her own little settlement of Pauper Trolls as her father was in fact a king at one point. She tries ruling over them with a pep in her step, attempts to make the most out of the borrower life they are living. Though secretly… she’s been planning a way to get back to the Troll Dome in hopes to find her sister still alive…

Unknowingly, another Trolls has been planning the same thing… Branch.

(Though I am still deciding whether to keep true to the original story where some of Poppys friends get captured basically forcing her and Branch to go back, or, she decides to team up with the gray troll and venture out to find their lost siblings…)

Meanwhile: On Floyd’s point of view. He along with Clay and another handle of Trolls are recaptured and taken back to the Troll Dome.

Unfortunately, Vaughn has been made aware of the escape and makes the Dome unescapeable…. For now.

As years pass, Vaughn has children of his own: Velvet and Veneer. Vaughn tends to keep this side of his business a secret from his children, but they grow curious and eventually come upon the Troll Dome where they venture inside. Seeing Rageons, all Trolsl go into hiding, except for Floyd, who’s ill at this point.

He is taken in by Veneer who nurses the little Troll back to health and eventually befriends him….

Unfortunately Floyd is there when the Montegue Manor is broken into and witnesses Vivian’s death. He also sees the change in Vaughn…

Flash forward, the twins are now seventeen… and about the same time Poppy and Branch return to the Troll Dome.

Without going to much into detail since I do want to make this into a story:

At this point the twins have ran away to Mount Rageous, and Branch returns to the Troll Dome to hear how his brother was taken by the Montegue twins years ago….

Somehow, someway, he discovers his brother is now being used by the twins and now his mission is to make it out of Under Rageous to the city above…. While Vaughn also has the same mission in mind as he discovers where his children are and who has them.

While Floyd also has a plan of his own to escape, and bring the twins with him…

Because it’s not them he’s trying to escape, but the Mistress…

…. To be continued (as a possible story :3 )

[dailypokemoncrochet]

Hello! I’m sorry if this has been asked before, so feel free to ignore it if it has, but what are your plans for when you crochet every Pokémon? Take a break, relax, not crochet another Pokémon until the next generation? Or do the shiny versions of each Pokémon? Or something else??

Hi! Probably take a day or four to decompress. Then focus on getting all the pokeamidex photos taken so I can post a massive post chain of all the Pokemon 30 at a time (image limit per post/additional reblog). Then find a good wide open space where I can lay them all out and hire a photographer to take pictures of the whole collection. Post all of those pictures everywhere online, possibly get a large one framed or posterified. Make another slideshow video with the full set. Redo the original half of my ceiling setup so that it's more evenly spaced before I put them all back up there.

In no particular order, also: transcribe all my pattern notes, redo the pokemon that I didn't write good notes on (some of them I just didn't write anything for), update my website, take photos of the evolution lines, maybe see if there's an art gallery that would want to display them for a bit, finish my pokeamidex binder, film a thousand mini videos just holding and rotating each pokemon like with duskull or appletun...

If I had a kajillion dollars I would make my fantasy dream studio museum. If I was really lucky I would get sponsored for some kind of book (series) deal for the patterns.

I'll also crochet new Pokemon as they are released, for as long as there are new Pokemon. I'd like to crochet at least one more of each Pokemon so that I can have one for my personal collection and then another for a display collection that's not in my room. I'll crochet every reasonably different regional/alternate version too (no to the Spinda, reluctantly yes to the Vivillon, iffy on the Alcremie) for an even more complete set.

Unlikely to happen: crocheting shiny versions or megas or gigantamaxes or other temporary versions because I'm ambivalent about all of those.

[bumbldee]

Gristol, Head of HR AU

Where Gristol bitched too much about how poorly ran the Psychonauts is, even citing his sources, and inexplicably gets hired as the Head of HR for his community service.

Some doodles before i go off for holiday, wont be back for like another week

Anyways ramble about this under the cut

Basically, before Gristol gets his verdict, Sasha's assigned to see what's up w him to figure out what's a good punishment.

Gristol spends like a long time ranting about how piss poor the Psychonauts is managed. As he was supposed to blend in, he researched EVERY ethic and code that the psychonauts were oblidged to as he wanted to fit in. His mother never wanted him to end up like his father, so she forced him to learn management and strategy as a kid, and he's DAMN well good at it, except for being a leader. As a stress reliever he'd written down everything wrong with management, and how he'd fix it, for the past 3 years of him working there. Employee's who constantly breached conduct, how shit the hiring security was, etc etc

Sasha sees his manifesto and is like, somewhat impressed with it. He sends it off to Truman, whose also surprised with it.

At first, Gristol tries to escape for like, a month. But then he realized this was the best he was going to get, seeing that he did not have any other skills than management and planning, or even a certified high school degree.

He's actually good at his job, improving employee wellfair and turnout by around 12%. He takes it extremely seriously but at the same time he doesn't want to be there, he's grumpy and it kinda puts everyone off.

Even though he's lived through the life of the common person and what they need, he still believes in Grulovia's dictatorship. His empathy and sudden want for change in management was a result of going through it himself, so he's mostly just serving what he would've wanted. Big ol hypocrite.

Managing a single department has kind of turned him off the idea of trying to be Gzar entirely. He realized the hard way he's not suited for leadership roles.

For like the first few months, he's forced to sit in a little desk next to Truman's with a shitty little typewriter. He's put there because Truman needs to see his performance + it's funny to him. Eventually though he gets really bad backpain from crouching over to type on his little typewriter, and does get his own little office.

Hollis NEVER agreed to hiring him, and was really pissed when Truman did it without her input. They spend a lot of their first interactions arguing, but they do eventually get along somewhat, sharing the same annoyance on dumb decisions Truman or Employees did. They're still hostile but like, they won't try to kill each other anymore.

Gristol has what he needs, he's provided simple accommodations (a small room with a shitty kitchen and a small bathroom) and an allowance (300-500 a month, it's mostly fun + food money).

Lori was originally going to give him a "Best Mail Clerk!" mug, but then the events of Psychonauts 2 happens and she never gets to give him his mug. When he gets hired as head of hr, she cancels out Mail Clerk from the mug and written down "head of HR"

One of Gristol's duties is to water Truman's plants in his office.

Gristol initially tried to have Raz fired, (everyone thought it was because he was salty Raz ruined his plans, nah it's because y'know he's 10) but with Truman's insistence he stayed on, Gristol had updated his contract. Raz is only permitted to go on less dangerous missions and more frequent mental health inspections. He might've had to forge some documents to be able to register Raz to work. Maybe.

[dat-town]

we bloom at night

Characters: vampire!Sunghoon & vampire hunter!female reader

Setting & genre: urban fantasy au, angst, almost lovers to enemies to lovers (romeo and juliet-esque?)

Summary: They say almost is the saddest word. You thought it was ridiculous. Until Sunghoon became your almost.

Warnings: minor character deaths, guns, canon-typical violence, MC gets slapped by her father, mentions of blood, ambiguous ending, possibly annoying amount of moon references

Words: 3.2k

Author’s note: inspired by the untold concept cinema - the last scene is set immediately after the end of that; title from moonstruck; @restlessmaknae you can call me out on writing so much for bonedo but can we talk about how this is also my 3rd Sunghoon story this year? (and all of them are angsty oops)

It was always going to end in a tragedy.

From the moment you knew who he was, what he was, there was no other way. It didn’t hurt any less though.

The first time you met Sunghoon he was playing piano at the Moonlight Gala. You couldn’t help but think that he was beautiful, unearthly so. The white overhead light painted him pale, his dark hair a stark contrast like ink against snow. You were enchanted, both by his music and his appearance.

Your father scolded you for not paying attention to the chairman who was asking you about your after graduation plans. As if you had much of a choice! It didn’t matter that you were born a girl or that you hated violence more than anything. Three generations of soldiers serving the country… you couldn’t break the family tradition. Your opinion never really mattered because in your household, your father’s word was law and outside of it, you had no choice but to agree with the colonel. No disobedience was allowed, you learned that early on.

The gala was held in the name of charity for orphans but in reality it was just another chance for the chairman to show off his influence and pretend to be a good samaritan while using the charity funds to buy his second wife a villa on Jeju. You hated him and their equally two-faced, egoistic son who thought girls should stay quiet and just be pretty. Your cheek still burned from the memory of your father’s slap after you dared to indulge in an argument with the guy over rights and things such as equality because how dare you disrespect the heir?

You couldn’t wait to get away from the crowd and from your family, so you used their distraction during speeches to slip away into the gardens and it seemed like the pianist preferred the silence of nature as well, now that his services were temporarily not needed while the rich and influential were busy praising themselves inside. He stood by the fountain, the moon reflecting on the water and its shine highlighted his beauty. You might have been too mesmerized, too obvious, because when the boy looked up, he immediately caught your gaze.

From a young age you were taught to own up to your mistakes and to always act like what you were doing was intentional because you couldn’t allow yourself to bring shame to your name by showcasing anything else than perfect composure, so you didn’t shy away. You kept eye contact even when the pianist tilted his head in question and you raised your chin as you closed the distance between you with a few light steps.

“What was the song you played last?” You asked because the melody was like no other you heard before yet it was stuck in your mind.

“It’s an original. It’s called Moonstruck,” he said and even his voice was beautiful, mellow and soft.

His answer was followed by brief silence but it wasn’t awkward. Your fingers mimicked the way his fingers moved over the black and white keys over the railing and oh how you wished you were taught to create music instead of how to hold a gun.

“You are the lieutenant's daughter,” the boy spoke up again and it wasn’t a question, you both knew. Anybody could tell from the way you were pestered around all night.

“First and foremost, I’m Y/N,” you said because being your father’s daughter was one thing but you were your own individual without your family’s influence as well.

Your correction made the pianist smile a bit. The small gesture looked good on him.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Sunghoon,” he introduced himself and looked at the moonlit water again. There, under the full moon, you traded secrets unlike strangers usually do. He told you that he had grown up in an orphanage, befriending his best friends there, and you told him about how your older brother was like your own best friend, your only supporter under your father’s regime. He was the golden son, good at everything and making the family proud with his achievements in the military already as a rookie. He promised to put in a word for you after he earned himself a promotion, that he would ask your father, so you wouldn’t have to follow down this path.

It was such a comfort, this little bubble you created in which you weren’t judged, where you were actually listened to. But the idyll broke when you heard your name being called and it brought a frown onto your face.

“I need to go,” you excused yourself, apologetic, and the boy nodded, understanding.

“I should probably go back to my post as well,” he muttered with a half smile and your paths diverged.

But before the end of the night, Sunghoon slipped a napkin into your hand smoothly, asking when he could see you again. It made your heart flutter like nothing before.

You thought it was romantic: sneaking around, sending handwritten letters, keeping the ones from him under your pillow. The political unrest shown on TV due to the emerging vampire attack cases not being handled efficiently was just an afterthought in the back of your mind, your father’s complaints at the dining table fading in the background because all you could think about was seeing Sunghoon again. 

But then everything changed when your brother died. His throat was torn and bloody, fang marks clear and you swore over his dead body in the hospital’s sterilized table that you would avenge him.

Joining the military’s new government founded vampire hunting unit seemed like the right choice. The president was finally taking steps against the threats that have been lurking in your country for a while now. Needless to say your parents were proud and even though you knew you could never replace their favourite son, it didn’t stop you. You weren’t doing this for them after all, you were doing this because your brother was the best thing in your life and his death was unfair.

You didn’t expect Sunghoon to support you, after all it was a dangerous job and the complete opposite of what you had wanted to do previously but you thought that he would at least understand you and why you needed to do this. But maybe you didn’t know him as well as you thought, not even after weeks of talking and sharing stories nobody else knew.

“You said you didn’t want to go down this path,” he said quietly, his shadow even taller than him in the alcove you found your temporary safe haven.

“That was before. I have to do this,” you argued because you were angry at the world and you felt lost without having a purpose. Sunghoon’s reluctance to accept your choice hurt more than you expected it to be. Maybe you wanted him to embrace you, to stroke your hair and tell you that everything would be alright. But Sunghoon’s eyes were sorrowful for reasons you weren’t aware of and his distance cut deeper than the knife you accidentally hurt yourself with during training.

“Y/N…”

“You can’t change my mind,” you cut him off because you didn’t want to hear more. You ripped yourself away before he could have touched you and walked away, the lonely moon showing you the way in the night.

That was the last time you saw him as a human. Or at least when you thought he was human. Because the next time you met, it wasn’t one of your secret night rendezvous behind your parents’ back. It wasn’t apologies whispered or heartfelt letters exchanged. It was your first field mission as a rookie of the vampire hunting team.

The past few weeks you pretty much lived on the military base, drowning yourself in training and practice. You wanted to be the best, you had so much to catch up on. On days when it was particularly hard, when you had new scars on your hands, soreness in your muscles and received insults for being daddy’s little princess and just wanted to cry, you missed your brother the most. It would have been so much easier with him by your side. Then you started missing Sunghoon too and something you never really had and you had to snap out of it because you couldn’t get distracted.

(You had no idea that he had spent those weeks visiting your house, watching your window, hoping to see the light or for you to lean outside of the window, any sign that you were well. You had no idea that one of his friends had been caught while stealing blood bags from a hospital and the military was on their trail. You had no idea that he missed you too, like waves missed their guiding moon.)

The mission you joined was supposed to be an easy one, just a quick in-and-out at a warehouse that supposedly had frequent vampire activities. The team’s job was to check on that and if confirmed, get information about the approximate number of bloodsuckers hidden there.

Maybe it was the nerves or the pressure to prove yourself but you wandered off after noticing movement in one corner and no amount of training could have prepared you for the sight of a teenage girl with bloodshot eyes and blood dripping from her sharp fangs. You had a gun in your hand, the same type you had shot with during practice. You knew the feel of metal and just how hard you needed to pull the trigger. You knew exactly how many seconds it took and yet, you stood there frozen. You always imagined vampires as ugly villains from children's stories or faceless murderers from horror movies, but this girl looked so human, even covered in blood. She was just a child…

A child that was attacking you.

Everything happened so fast. Before you could even lift your arm and aim, the girl was on you, baring her teeth, then the next moment she was yanked off you with a strength you didn’t think was possible. You gaped at the person who did it, even more so when you recognized him in the dim lit warehouse.

“Are you okay? Did she hurt you?” Sunghoon asked with worry in his midnight dark eyes, with a cold hand against your cheek to check you for injuries.

He didn’t look afraid at all, if not for you and you were the one with a weapon in hand, that was the first thing you noticed. Then you put two and two together: the reason behind his pale complexion and flawless beauty, why he wasn’t fond of the government’s stricter rules or why he was especially wary of your sudden change of heart.

“You… You are one of them. Those monsters,’ you whispered with a gasp in shock. It felt like a betrayal, a knife straight to the heart. Even if he wasn’t the one who had killed your brother, he was one of them.

Sunghoon hissed like your words could actually hurt him as he pulled his hands back, looking scared that even his touch was repulsive to you now.

“Y/N…” He called your name softly, like he had called you so many times before but its sweetness turned sour to your ears now. His being alone changed so many things.

“Leave,” you gritted your teeth, trembling fingers curling around your gun firmer. It was heavier in your hand than it was supposed to be. But Sunghoon didn’t move, so you looked up, straight into his eyes and repeated. “Leave. This is the last kindness I can give to you.”

This beautiful boy looked at you with such sorrowful eyes that you could feel your eyes tear up. He didn’t understand. He had to leave. If others saw him…

“Please,” you begged and lifted the gun, pointing at his chest, right at his broken heart but you could have pointed at your own too.

You both heard the footsteps coming and it was then when Sunghoon disappeared as swiftly as wind, leaving only a breeze of his musky scent behind. The moment he left, you fell to the ground, and a comrade found you like that.

It didn’t take long after that for word to get around. You were a weakling. A shame. But none of it mattered with a broken heart.

The sound of palm meeting skin echoed in your childhood bedroom. Your cheek felt hot even after your father pulled his hand back and you forced your gaze to the ground.

“Don’t you see, stupid girl? He was using you to get information about us,” he claimed as if he knew the boy whose picture was now on wanted posters all over the city, him and all his friends from the orphanage too. Everything came to light quickly after that: his appearance at the gala, your late night talks, the secret letters hidden in your pillow  and your weakness for a beautiful boy with a mole on his cheek. A vampire.

You disappointed your father once again.

“He isn’t like that,” you argued because even in the light of the recent realization you were not willing to believe that Sunghoon played pretend the entire time and none of his softness or kindness was genuine.

“Did he or did he not know about your connection to the military?” Your father pressed and you couldn’t deny that. He knew who you were before you even talked. But who didn’t at that party? Your father liked to show off your family.

“Yes but…”

“See? You’re so naive. I should have known better than to believe you can avenge your brother,” your father didn’t even let you finish and turned his back on you. End of the conversation.

Now, it felt like a cosmic joke that the next time you met Sunghoon, it was in an abandoned music store with broken glass and soldiers’ bodies lying all around. He was sitting in the car that crashed into the building and listened to the music coming from the cassette player. Light piano music like the first time you had seen him.

The government had called for an aggressive attack on all known vampires to ‘clear’ the cities that morning. Everything was closed down and every active soldier was on the field. You heard of the first troop opening fire at the car with seven vampires and how they stopped reporting back to the base. That was when your lieutenant father came up with his great idea: to send you in, alone, because one of the vampires trusted you and you knew a deal when you saw it: it was your chance of redemption if you ever wanted him to consider you as his daughter again. You weren’t sure you wanted though. Still, you agreed because not going was the worse choice both for you and Sunghoon. Even if you were supposed to be a martyr.

“Are you part of the backup they sent?” Sunghoon asked without looking up, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel as if he was playing the last few notes of that pretty melody.

“I’m supposed to be the distraction,” you admitted, voice tight, limbs nervous. Not because you were in the middle of a battlefield and if your father gave the command, you would go down with everything around you. Not because soldiers in bulky uniforms were scattered behind you injured or dead. Not because you were afraid Sunghoon would hurt you. Even his friends let you pass by them without a word, some didn’t even glance at you, others followed you with their gaze but didn’t get up from their place, didn’t stop you either. You were trembling because you weren’t sure how Sunghoon would treat you after you had called him a monster. But you should have known better than to doubt him.

When he got out of the car and turned to you, he didn’t look at you with hatred or disappointment, he looked at you with care, worry. He didn’t approach you as if he was afraid that you would push him away like last time.

“You need to leave, Y/N. It’s going to be hell when the backup arrives,” he warned you as if you didn’t know, as if there wasn’t a gun tucked inside his pants just like you had one taped to your thigh. You were prepared for hell.

“You… it wasn’t you, right? You didn’t kill the mass like they claim, right?” You asked, almost desperately, because you needed to know. They plastered the city full of their faces, calling them murderers, killers of dozens, but you couldn’t imagine him doing all the atrocities that were pinned on them and you knew how the government needed scapegoats just to prove the funding had gone to a good place, so you wouldn’t have been surprised if it was all a lie, you just needed to be sure.

“We only kill if necessary. Like now, they attacked us first,” Sunghoon explained and you knew that he was telling the truth about the letter because you heard your superior say that the vampired wanted to leave town quietly. You also saw the bullet holes in his Sunghoon’s jacket.

“They are everywhere. They surrounded the area. They say they will burn down the neighbourhood if they have to and I…” You started rambling because you didn’t know what to do, what you could do at least and you were starting to panic because it had already been some time and what if the soldiers were already on the move and…

“Hey, shh…” Sunghoon cooed, quiet and kind, like he was reassuring a child as he cradled your face in his hands and pulled you onto his chest. He smelled like smoke and metal but he was warm, you nuzzled closer.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered into his shirt, fingers curling into the sleeve of his jacket to keep yourself steady.

“We’ll get out of here alright, okay?” He said under the watching eyes of the rising moon and you wanted to believe him so badly.

You wanted to get far, far away and start a new life. You wanted to sit next to him and watch him play piano. You wanted to be with him without hiding, without holding back. You wanted to believe that you had a future despite his immortality and your human fragility.

“Okay,” you forced a hopeful smile and Sunghoon slid his fingers into the seam of yours to intertwine them.

He led you to his friends and asked what you knew about the ambush the soldiers were preparing, so you tried your best to tell them all the small details you caught on while waiting in front of your father’s office. And just like that, you really became the traitor he already thought you were. But between a father who kept you in a cage and never wanted you the way you were and a boy who wanted you despite everything, you chose to follow your heart.

Even if it led to hell. At least Sunghoon was holding your hand through it.

[indigosunsetao3]

Happy Christmas, John Price

Christmas Story Single Dad John Price x Reader Christmas fluff

Merry Christmas if you all celebrate! 💙 There will be one more chapter for New Years.

The snow that the news originally predicted would be just a dusting for Christmas kept building. Three days ago, they upped it from a dusting to a few centimeters, but just the afternoon before, the weather stations had to eat crow and admit the storm was much bigger than they expected. It had stalled, and a few other ingredients had come together to potentially produce a half metre of snow in some places.

This amount of snow was unheard of in recent memory, and as the news started spreading, panic set in. People who needed to travel were trying to push up plans to get out earlier. Others were running to the store to prep for having family in the house for longer than expected. Traffic turned into a nightmare by lunchtime, and when dusk settled in, and the cold wind started, delays and cancellations began rolling in.

Trudging through the brisk swells of wind and the start of the storm you head toward your flat, flipping up your collar as you walk. Your travel plans are a bust, and while you would have loved to pick up some more wine to help wait out the storm, you aren't going to battle the shops. It’s not worth fighting with people to get the last box of crackers or standing for an hour in line. Cereal and mac and cheese would have to suffice for your Christmas meal.

By eight in the evening, the wind is howling, and snow is swirling around the street lamps. Pouring another glass of wine in the kitchen, you hear a knock at the door. You hesitate and stare at it when the knock sounds again. Who would be at your place this late on Christmas Eve?

After a quick glance out the peep hole, you open the door to find your neighbor standing there. He has a box at his feet, a sheepish grin on his face, and snow dotting his coat.

“John?” You ask pulling the door open a bit more.

You knew him enough to have polite conversation, grab his packages for him when he’s out of town for work, and him offer to lug your heavy things inside after shopping. But that’s about the extent of it.

“Sorry, I know it’s late, but I saw your lights on. I think we’re the only people still in town,” he reasons as he picks up the box. “That sounds worse than it is.”

“It’s fine,” you answer peering at the box as you glance into the box. Clothes with the tags still on them, a few toys, some trinkets, a stocking, and rolls of wrapping paper. “I don’t think those shirts will fit me, though,” you tease, glancing at a pale green long sleeved number.

He glances down and grins a bit before looking back at you.

“I was supposed to be home alone until Boxing Day. But the storm trapped Emily’s mom in Germany, so we had to make last minute changes..and she’s too nosey for her own good. I had to hide these in my boot until she went to sleep,” he starts explaining as you step aside to let him inside. “She still believes in Father Christmas, and I didn’t want to risk her waking up while…”

“Come in, we’ll figure it out,” you offer. You know what he’s asking without him having to. “She asleep?”

“For now,” John answers as he sets the box on the ground by the coffee table. “Spent the past few hours doing up the tree. She wanted blue and white this year and eventually made me sit while she fixed my mistakes,” he laughs as he pulls out rolls of paper.

Setting your glass of wine down on the end table, you grab a pair of scissors from the kitchen. John has all the items laid out and boxes to put things in. For being such an intimidating looking man, he certainly looks out of place and unsure as he looks at everything to figure out where to start.

“You work on the stocking,” you offer, sitting on the couch next to him. "I’ll box.”

“Why are you still home?” John asks as he hands you the roll of tape as you seal up a pair of pajamas.

“I’ve been stranded at the airport before. I wasn’t risking it over the holidays,” you state as you grab a roll of paper and begin measuring it out to wrap. “Not so sure I hate the idea of a quiet Christmas at home though. My family can be…a lot,” you laugh.

You both work while chatting a bit, the Christmas movie you had been watching playing in the background. Despite being out of his element, John seems to be enjoying the work. His wrapping isn’t world class; the edges are bent, the ends jagged, and some things are too loose, while others are so tight they look like they may tear.

To keep the illusion of Father Christmas, you send him back to his flat to find things of his own to wrap. It doesn’t matter if it’s old items; Emily will be too excited to notice that detail, but she would certainly pick up on the fact that her dad had no gifts. When he returns with a few shirts that look relatively new and a coffee mug, you smirk before taking them.

“You’ve got nothing under your tree,” John remarks as he glances at the tree in the window. It’s a small thing, a few twinkling lights and ornaments covering up the bare spots.

“Oh, no. I sent my gifts for family to my parents, easier than trying to travel with them,” you explain pouring yourself another glass of wine and topping off the one you had poured for him.

“No I meant,” he pauses as you hold out your hand for the tape that keeps disappearing. “For you. No gifts to open in the morning?”

“Ah, no,” you reply with a small shrug. “Not a big deal. I’m sure my family will send them in the post.”

By the time you both finish your drinks and clean up, it's almost eleven. He doesn’t say anything else about your lack of gifts, but you see him looking at the tree around your flat and then at the pile of gifts at your feet a few times.

“Get some sleep, she’ll be up at the crack of dawn,” you joke as John heads back into his place to set the gifts out.

“You as well,” John states as he looks at you from across the hall for a moment before slipping into his dark living room.

Unintentionally you fall asleep on the couch. Having spent the rest of your evening watching the snow from the living room couch. So when another round of knocks, sounding more impatient and perhaps a bit quieter rap on your door, you jolt up. It’s barely seven, and you yawn and stretch, ambling to the door to pull it open.

“Forget some-“ you start before seeing it’s not John there, but Emily.

She’s wide eyed and grinning as she fumbles her hands in front of her. The little girl is practically bouncing with excitement. Glitter from the wrapping paper coats her hands and shirt, and you spot a pair of socks you had wrapped the night before on her feet.

“Morning!” She bursts out, “dad asked me to come over and invite you for breakfast! He said you were all by yourself for Christmas because of the snow…like us!” She turns to look back at the door where John has appeared, a bit of flour on his flannel shirt…another item you had helped wrap.

“It’ll be ready in about ten minutes,” John adds as Emily darts back to him, pushing past his legs to get back to her gifts. “If you’d like to join that is,” he finishes watching Emily go before turning to look back at you.

“You know…why not,” you state after a second with a shrug. “I’ll just go get changed.”

“We eat breakfast in our pajamas,” Emily chimes in when she returns with a doll, fingers twirling the hair that matches hers.

“Uh, well,” you glance at your sweats and sleep shirt. “Alright be there in a moment.”

You take the few minutes you have to freshen up, ie fix your sleep mussed face and hair then quickly brush your teeth before heading over. The flat smells of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup as you push open the door. The layout is the same as your place, just mirrored, so you’re able to find the kitchen easily.

“Father Christmas did pretty good it looks like,” you state as John digs out plates and forks.

“She was beyond excited. I think she was a bit nervous about him not knowing where she was…Christmas is always at her mother’s,” he explains as he heads to small dining room table. “But at five sharp she was squealing and dragging me from bed.”

“You did good, dad,” you whisper, glancing over your shoulder to see Emily on the floor digging another new toy out of the box.

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” he replies and when you turn back around there’s a small box sitting in front of you. Wrapped in the same paper as the night before, but with a ribbon and tag with your name.

“I, what’s this?” You ask grabbing the box and turning it over in your hands. “You didn’t have to get me something,” you mutter as he slides a plate in front of you.

“Wasn’t me. Father Christmas must have mixed up our houses,” John answers with a knowing smirk as Emily slides into one of the chairs.

“What is it?” Emily asks as you peel back a corner and glance at John who’s busying himself at the sink.

Not sure what to expect, you pop off the top of the box and peer inside. It’s a familiar looking pair of socks, the same ones on Emily’s feet, though on your size. Pulling them out, you spot John's note under them, and you carefully put the cover back on. Emily doesn't need to see the note and ruin the illusion.

“It looks like we have matching socks,” you say with a grin, looking at Emily as you hold them up.

“Dad got a pair too!” She exclaims before darting from the table to go find them.

“When did you have time to get these?” You ask as you clutch the soft material. “It’s a blizzard out there,” you remark glancing at the bright white snow still falling.

“Doesn’t matter,” John answers as he sits across from you and nudges the box toward you again. “There’s one more thing in there,” he adds as he glances to where Emily is rooting around in the discarded paper. “A proper gift…I hope,” he adds as Emily comes in and shoves the socks at John, demanding he put them on so you all match.

While they’re busy, you unfold the letter still in the box and read it over. It’s an invitation to dinner and drinks with John for New Year's—a date of sorts at a very hard to get into restaurant in downtown London that costs about half your rent for one meal.

You blink at it, preparing to refuse because of the cost, but when you glance up to see John smiling a bit nervously at you, you don’t.

Unable to give him an answer with Emily sitting there, you eat instead, grinning to yourself and catching John’s eye every once in a while. The anxious grin John had at first turns into a dazzling one as time goes on. And when Emily darts to her room to get changed, yelling about sledding, you catch John’s arm as he stands up.

“Wasn’t exactly the Christmas I had planned,” you state as he looks at you. “But…it is better than the quiet one I was planning on having. Only issue is, I have nothing to give you.”

“A yes would be good enough for me,” John states as his eyes dart to the box.

“A yes? That’s it?” You ask, raising an eyebrow as you stand up, realizing how close you are to him. “Seems easy…and not exactly a fair trade since you’re the one taking me out. ”

“Just a yes,” he replies looking down at you, his hand braced on the table fisting a bit.

“Well then. I wouldn’t want to ruin the day, John,” you say quietly. “So, Happy Christmas,” you state and push up on your toes to kiss his cheek lightly.

“Happy Christmas,” he answers, cupping your cheek to give you a proper kiss before his eyes dart to the suspiciously well placed mistletoe…right above your chair.

[bluepopofanarts]

I don't give clear spoilers from the S2 but read the next with precautions (I imply things but I prefer giving the warning. I hate spoilers so I try to avoid it to others even if with the S2 my brain was impatient XD).

------

Little AU (another after the swap comic XD) where they have met in childhood. They both share the same origin story but one day they just met randomly when Viktor played with his boat (probably just after meeting Singed because I drew an healthy Rio).

The timeline changed her direction to a long-time friendship where they shared every steps of their life. I drew Rio with them but infortunately she had the same fate (I swear I keep the main scenario because I didn't find how to save her. If I find something I'd change the description ! XD Maybe bringing her back with some Hextech magic, even if that implies she is white/gold if you know what I mean lol).

They did their studies together and created te Hexgems. The main difference : they've never created the unstable ones that destroyed the appartment (because Viktor was already here "to crank it") but they also never dared to talk about them. So when the group stole them they both ended up in trial for creating the Hexgems. But Mel saved them both and their part of the story is the same (except the fact that Viktor being put under the spotlight gave him a Councilor place too. He enjoyed that like an introvert in front of a full theatre xD).

For the Zaunist side, and because the Hexgems are stable, they didn't create the deadly huge explosion. Milo finished to free Vander, Claggor created the wall hole and everybody escaped. Even Powder who were already outside, she didn't fly with the explosion like in the original.

BUT

Silco took the Hexgems and started to create weapon with them + the Shimmer.

So yes, Jayce and Viktor are in trouble because they have to create the Hexgates and trying to keep peace. Luckily Victor is the one trying to find peace with Silco. And Vander helped a lot with a certain heartbreaking piece of paper (I'm still crying all the water I drunk in a week everytime I read it ! And !spoiler for the artbook! having the artbook with that letter in it is not helping ! XD)

And because I really love (in a painful, tearful, brain-eating, obsessive, and highly passionate way) what happened to my precious Vitya in the next season, I guess they found peace and gave independance to Zaun but a certain someone set the Council room in fire to start again the hatred (probably a dangerous woman in red who already prouved that she can plot horrible plans !). So Silco is alive but we still have the S2 (yes even the absolute horrific end of the episode 6. Seriously, even after knowing what/why/all the things and reasons, fuck you still, Jayce).

So this is how I fixed the utopic timeline of the episode 7 (not gonna lie guys but I was absolutly not a fan of this moment when I saw it for the first time. For me Arcane was "impossible to give me joy" "this is probably some kind of Arcane bad trip and they are in reality in some kind of deadly nightmare" "everything is fake", I was super suspicious so I did'nt enjoy it like I should have do xD But now I'm fine with that even if a lot of things are illogic, but it's still beautiful to enjoyer peace and love).

Anyway, more Jayvik incoming because they are the biggest brainroat I've ever had in my damn life. Viktor really set my mind in pieces and I don't recover from it. But I forgive him because it's Viktor <3

Merry Christmas even if it's the end of the day ! (almost 10pm here xD)